1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical transmission module or an optical module. In particular, the invention relates to an optical transmission module or an optical module having an optical connector mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical communications systems for communications networks having a large capacity of data transmission have been developed for wide spread use and will continue to be further developed in the future considering the demand for multimedia in society.
Communications systems include optical transmission modules or optical modules that are placed in an optical network unit of an optical transmission network. However, since such optical transmission modules or optical modules are expensive, it is desirable to reduce their cost. One of the reasons why such modules are so expensive is that the conventional optical transmission modules or optical modules are pigtail type modules which cannot be readily detached from the optical fiber. Once the optical fiber is attached to the optical transmission module or optical module, it is difficult to perform reflow soldering and to handle the optical fiber itself.
Optical transmission modules or optical modules in which the optical fiber is capable of being detached have been proposed. For instance, a surface mountable optical module having a simple type optical connector structure to which an optical fiber is able to be attached is described in IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology-Part B, Vol. 19. No. 3, pp. 524-531, August 1996. This simple type of optical connector includes an optical connector pigtail for the optical fiber and. a receptacle that receives the connector positioned at the edge of the optical module.
By using an optical module having an optical connector structure from which the optical fiber connector can be detached, it becomes relatively simple to perform reflow soldering and handling of the optical module, followed by connection of the optical fiber to the module. The cost of the optical module is also reduced by employing such type of optical connector structure.